Starting out or adding Infant Feeding to your existing business
Build your business on reliable customers, don’t focus all your time and energy on new customers. We readily confess to rarely checking our Google Analytics (keep reading to find out what this is) and whilst our SEO is all set up on our website (again read on for more information), our day to day focus is our services, these change and evolve to make sure we are providing the best service. We have many customers leaving us good reviews and receive many calls and emails where new clients tell us their friend has recommended BB&Y. So make your main focus the customers, service and operational systems!
Key steps to setting up your business or adding a service
BRANDING
This is a critically important aspect of setting up a new business or service, it will enable your new and existing customers to identify you with ease. How you brand your business should be around your vision and values, work on creating a brand that connects but also stands out and clearly defines who you are. Be creative but also be mindful that a brand needs to “do what it says on the tin”, otherwise your creativity may be wasted and before long you will want to rebrand!
Brand Kit
A brand kit is a document that details all of your brand identity in one place. It should contain all the important visual elements of your brand, such as your logo, font, colour palette and brand imagery. You could also include explanations on where and how to use your brand identity elements.
Brand Kit Content
- Logo and any variations of colour or layout
- Fonts – don’t underestimate this! It’s often the glue that ties everything together and creates a very strong first impression. A good typeface can engage your audience, a bad one will drive them away!
- Colour palette, including RGB, CMYK, and Hex colour codes*
- Images, essentially the key images that will be associated with your brand
- Brand message/slogans
- Any infographics
- Design layouts and elements for other materials such as leaflets, pdfs you produce
*Colour codes: a series of codes identifying a specific colour, used by designers and developers, there are 3 types. RGB code: used on electronic systems – TVs, computers. CMYK code: used on printed materials. Hex Codes: used on websites.
Branding/Design Software
We love Canva!! It’s the best tool for desktop publishing/design. You can have a free account but it has limitations, for £100 a year you can have a Canva Pro account with access to many photos and design elements that will add character the wow factor to your designs. It makes changing a blank white space into something eye catching and viewable so much easier and they also provide templates to get you started. Here is a list of some items you can design in Canva:
- Instagram and Facebook posts, stories, covers, event covers
- YouTube Channel art
- LinkedIn banners
- Presentations
- Logos
- Business cards
- Invoices
- Letterheads
- Posters
- Flyers
- Brochures
- Newsletters
- Numerous personal templates for invitations, cards, resumes, postcards and many many more!
- Brand Kit – pro only*
NB: There is a slight downside to Canva. It is very quickly becoming the “go to” for design and with the current trend being posting stories and eye catching posts to social media it can be difficult to choose something that hasn’t already been used before (breasts and breastfeeding ladies we love are very popular!).
*You are also able to set up a “Brand Kit” on a Canva pro account that allows you to put all your brand elements and colours in one place so they are easy to access without needing the code colours or trying to locate the right logo.
WEBSITE
A key part of every business and a total minefield! This is a quick guide on what you will need and the services BB&Y use.
Website - Domain Name
There are many domain name registration companies, Godaddy is the company BB&Y use. You can purchase a domain name for between £10 – £40, cost will depend on the name you would like (some will have many zeros!!) and the ending – .co.uk, or .com etc. There are many variations of web address endings but .co.uk is a well established mark of a UK business. It’s recommended you try and get both the .co.uk and .com web address to protect your name and confusion for customers. You are able to have 2 website addresses pointing to one website server, in fact you can have more than 2!
Website - Server/hosting
Again there is a vast number of companies that provide this service (Godaddy also provide this service and will offer a package to host your website when purchasing a domain) but the company BB&Y use is a UK based company – Kalagoo and they charge £60 per year for hosting a website.
Website - Content Management Software
BB&Y use WordPress* as the platform to build our website, as above and with all things web-related there are many companies such as Wix and Squarespace. It can be very confusing. If you choose WordPress, make sure you find a reputable developer, which isn’t easy but we do have a lovely WordPress developer that we can wholeheartedly recommend – Awais Raza. Awais has provided support and development on the BB&Y website. Awais is based in India and he is reasonably priced and will ensure you have a website fully set up and working with SEO (please see next bit for more information on SEO).
There is an article here that compares the top 3 website content platforms – WordPress, Wix and Squarespace and I’m including as it will present a fairer view, my preference is WordPress, it’s more customisable, you own the content and if you need to add a shop or contact form this can be done at no extra cost, other services like Wix will charge more money for add ons and you have less overall control. Here is the article – https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/website-builders/comparisons/wix-vs-squarespace-vs-wordpress/
*WordPress is a website content management system and consists of a combination core files, a database (which are provided when you download it to your website server) and files that you can add or install (media files such as images and pdfs and plugins**).
** Plugins are specific to WordPress and are an “add-on” or “extension”. Plugins are like building blocks for your WordPress website and enable you to add additional functionality, for example: Elementor – a visual page builder (no coding necessary!), Contact forms – a plugin to enable to set up forms for contact or any other forms you require – many many more plugins are available!
SEO - Search Engine Optimisation
You can pay for this service, or you can allow it to grow organically. Again a bit of a quagmire as many companies provide this, at varying costs and it’s extremely daunting to try to find what you need. Kalagoo do provide this service, as does Awais Raza. There are a few basics that can at least get you set up correctly, if you have a website already it may be worth checking (or checking with your developer) that you have these set up as they are very important!
SEO - Website Setup Tips
- Websites needs key words (make sure they are relevant) as Heading tags! (these are called H1 tags)
- Research and try to gauge what questions people are asking – eg, Doula in Brighton – this needs to feature in H1 tags, or in your page content. Think of it as answering peoples questions – if you do this Google will love you!
- Does the website look good and trustworthy (enquiry forms, contact details). Google learns from customer interaction – if looking for contact information and it’s there and a customer engages then Google may list you higher next time.
- Blogs are valuable for SEO optimisation as it shows regular content updates and relevant information (Google scans your website, even pdfs to check it’s relevant to search terms or questions)
- Make sure your website is mobile friendly! Only 0.51% of visitors to the BB&Y website in one 4 week period were on a PC, the rest were Android and Apple mobile phones.
- Quick capture content on key pages to reduce your bounce* rate. In simpler terms, if someone asks a Google question and clicks on a link to your website from the search results then they leave immediately, Google will record this and when that question is asked again you will be listed lower down the list of results.
- Understand your audience – Google Analytics is helpful for understanding demographics, behaviour and details on bounce rates.
- Google loves backlinks, Google does read content (even pdfs!) and checks for reputable, relevant links so make sure they are high value backlinks! Google has an ever changing algorithm for listing websites but backlinks are key to organic growth so build relationships with other practitioners and service providers and encourage them to share your content and you can share theirs.
- Quality content – Google reads it and checks it’s relevant to the questions being asked when searching.
- Register your business with Google – see below
- Google Reviews (you need a business account for this – see below) will improve your Google search rankings.
*Bounce: a bounce is someone that visits your homepage, or a page on your website then leaves immediately.
**Backlinks are links from a page on one website to a page on another.
Tools for monitoring your website usage
- Google Webmaster
- Google Pagespeed Insights
- Goole Analytics
Tools for checking your the SEO on your website
- SEMrush
- SERPstats
- Ubersuggest
ADVERTISING AND ONLINE MARKETING
Google Business
This is a free and easy to use tool for businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including search and maps. You can register your business, this will take a few days as Google sends a postal verification. Once fully registered you can access easily via a Chrome*. It increases your visibility as well as offering a review option for current clients.
Create and manage your account here – https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/business/
*Chrome is Google’s internet browser tool
Bing Places for Business
Similar to Google but available to those on Microsoft Edge*, a free business listing service. The client reviews are pulled from your Facebook review page.
*Microsoft Edge is an Internet browser tool
There are a few options on Facebook, your own personal FB page is a starting point to set up any further pages/groups. Facebook for Business is a free Facebook page specifically for your business that enables you to expand your internet presence. You can add other people that are involved or who help manage your business or social media so they can add or edit content. You can post content such as, text, videos, images, events services and products and it also offers additional options to draft, schedule/plan content and an inbox to message and respond to questions. Clients can leave reviews to your business page and you can take advantage of additional functionality such as a shop, or paid advertising through “boosting” posts – the cost will depend on the demographics and geographical area you select but can be as little as £10, Facebook gives you an idea of the number of “engagements” for the price you pay when setting up a boosted post.
Facts: Daily FB is used by 44% of the UK online population. The largest age group using FB is 25-34 year olds
Instagram is a popular social media platform that can serve as a valuable marketing tool for your business. You can create a business account on Instagram by first creating a personal account and converting it. To get the most out of Instagram, use high-quality photos, respond to comments and use hashtags* wisely, keep your hashtags relevant and specific to a topic to reach the right audience.
*Hashtags – # – prefix a word or short statement (with no spaces and not too many words!). It’s effectively a label on Instagram that makes it easier for people to find and filter information.
YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing platform. It can be a valuable tool for small business marketing and information videos for clients, by creating a YouTube channel for your business you will be providing a centralised platform for your audience to view and engage with your videos. At BB&Y we use YouTube for information videos for clients, such as Hand Expressing, the Tongue-tie assessment process, aftercare exercises and more.
Vimeo
Vimeo is a similar tool to YouTube, a video sharing platform. Vimeo has a significantly smaller user base than YouTube. The advantage to Vimeo is they have a more robust privacy setup. BB&Y use Vimeo for videos we produce that require additional security to limit views to our chosen audience, mainly for the courses we run and live tutorial videos that require the additional privacy options available on the Vimeo platform.
Email Marketing
Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform that helps you manage and talk to your clients, customers, and other interested parties. You can manage mailing lists, create custom email templates, and nurture and automate marketing campaigns. Mailchimp have a variety of packages from a free account upwards in cost. BB&Y use Mailchimp because it integrates with Cliniko and Squarespace Scheduling, we currently automatically move a clients’ details from Squarespace Scheduling (our appointment booking service) via a Zap* to Mailchimp, once in Mailchimp there we send them an automated information email regarding Posterior and Anterior Tongue-ties. Following their appointment we use Mailchimp to request a review (Facebook or Google) and send them details of our parent Infant Feeding Course.
*Zap – this is short for a Zapier task. Zapier is a tool (online) that helps you to automate repetitive tasks between two or more applications with no code. https://zapier.com/
Taking payments and Accounting Software
PAYMENTS
There are a variety of services available, some of these are:
- Worldpay
- PayPal
- Square
- Stripe
- Sage Pay
At BB&Y we use Stripe for website, reoccurring and appointment payments. Stripe has lots of customisable options, you can set up different products and prices, set subscription or reoccurring payments, send invoices. You are also able to add your branding and logo to your Stripe account. Charges are 1.4% plus 20p per transaction for UK payments, higher for payments being made on non-EU cards.
Stripe integrates well with both Squarespace scheduling and Cliniko.
ACCOUNTS
Again there are a number of services available, a few to mention:
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Sage
- Tally
At BB&Y we use QuickBooks. QuickBooks is a full-featured business and financial management suite with tools for accounting, inventory, payroll, tax filing, invoicing, bank account tracking and reconciliation, expense management, budgeting, payment processing, and accounts receivable and accounts payable management.
Business Operation Tools
FILE MANAGEMENT AND STORAGE
Google Drive
Google Drive is a cloud based storage solution, it allows you to save files online and access them anywhere from any smartphone, tablet or computer. You can securely upload files and edit them online as well as share and collaborate on files. Google Drive has it’s own set of applications for editing different document types – Google Sheets is the MS Excel equivalent, Google Docs is the MS Word and Google Slides is their alternative to MS Powerpoint for presentations. The big advantage is the storage and the use of the applications is free, although this is up to a point! It’s worthwhile noting there are file size limits and the free account will allow you to store up to 15GB of files, which is quite high – this limit will run out depending on the number of files, and file types you are storing.
NB: you can store and work on MS Office files in Google drive.
MS Office - OneDrive
The Microsoft version of cloud based storage, similar to the above (you can upload, edit and collaborate on documents) but with the more familiar versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. You will need to purchase a Microsoft 365 package, this will allow up to 5 people to use all the MS Office applications mentioned above and provides 1TB of cloud based file storage.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Trello
This is a tool to manage day-to-day tasks or projects. You can run a Trello “board” with one or more members added to your team, allowing you to collaborate on projects or manage the day-to-day running of your business. It can be set up to work in the best way for the individuals using it and is similar to a series of post-it notes stuck to a whiteboard. You can leave comments, add cards to other team members to do lists, set up checklists, add customisable labels, and more. There are also “Powerups” that allow a huge variety of integrations and additional customisations. At BB&Y we have several boards on the go at one time, the “Powerup” we use is called “Card Repeater”, which pops repeated tasks into a specified list automatically each week.
There are many other tools similar to Trello such as Asana, Monday.com, Taskworld, Quickbase – the list goes on!
Email Marketing
Client Care and Record Keeping
CLINIKO
This is a practice management online application for clinics and health practitioners. Cliniko is secure and has many features for managing patient/client information including:
- Booking and Scheduling with fully customisable appointment types and calendars set up with times and availability
- Managing Health records
- Store files (videos, emails, messages, images)
- Treatment notes – which can be configured to suit your practice
- Patient forms – can be configured to suit your practice
- Finance management
- Reporting and tracking
- Client communication – by email and SMS, these can be fully customised to suit each appointment type or practitioner and be set to automatically go at specific point prior to or following the appointment
Cliniko also integrates with other applications, you can set up a link to your Mailchimp to enable you to communicate with clients in a more visual way or market to clients. Another really useful application Cliniko integrates with is FingerInk, this is a forms service. As an example, BB&Y have a consent form for the Tongue-tie procedure (frenulotomy) that patients read and sign in clinic prior to the procedure, this will then automatically be added to their Cliniko account.
BB&Y use Cliniko to manage our patient data, we have previously used the online booking system but found it had limitations and didn’t suit the way we were keen to operate.
ACUITY OR SQUARESPACE SCHEDULING
These are appointment scheduling applications. We use Squarespace Scheduling, and they are essentially the same thing (Squarespace purchased Acuity in 2019 and now uses all the functionality on it’s own version). We moved our online bookings from Cliniko to Squarespace as it provided additional functionality and appointment types and integrates with Zoom. Clients are able to book online and are automatically sent a Zoom link in their booking confirmation email. Features include:
- Mulitple locations and practitioners
- Advance appointment booking (a wide variety of appointment types – fully customisable)
- Availability settings
- Automated payment on booking
- Email and SMS confirmations, reminders and follow-ups
- Zoom and other application integrations (including Mailchimp)
- Intake forms (fully customisable)
- Direct links to booking or embeddable to your website
ICO REGISTRATION
The ICO stands for the Information Commissioners’ Office, it is the UK’s independent body set up to uphold information rights in the public interest. Under the Data Protection Act 2018, all organisations processing personal information are required to pay a data protection fee (unless exempt).
COMPLAINTS
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SAFEGUARDING
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